Phonetic Alphabet Lists

Phonetic Alphabets & Morse Code Tables

WELCOME (Whiskey Echo Lima Charlie Oscar Mike Echo) to List Lovers phonetic alphabet and Morse code reference tables. The NATO phonetic alphabet international* is the most widely used worldwide but we’ve also included some earlier British and American phonetic alphabets.

List Lovers phonetic alphabets list and FAQs last updated on 22 Nov 2024

The international phonetic alphabet is also known as the phonetic spelling alphabet, ICAO radiotelephonic and the ITU radiotelephonic phonetic alphabet. The LAPD Los Angeles Police Department phonetic alphabet is still in use, with some variations, by the LAPD and other US agencies. The Old UK military phonetic alphabet was used in pre-NATO Britain. The RAF (WWII) was used by the British Royal Air Force during World War II.

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Letter	NATO Alphabet *	Pronunciation	Morse Code	LAPD	RAF (WWII)	Old UK
A	Alpha	AL fah	• –	Adam	Apple	Abel
B	Bravo	BRAH voh	– • • •	Boy	Beer	Baker
C	Charlie	CHAR lee	– • – •	Charles	Charlie	Charlie
D	Delta	DELL tah	– • •	David	Dog	Dog
E	Echo	ECK oh	•	Edward	Edward	Echo
F	Foxtrot	FOKS trot	• • – •	Frank	Freddy	Fox
G	Golf	GOLF	– – •	George	George	George
H	Hotel	HOH tell	• • • •	Henry	Harry	How
I	India / Indigo	IN dee ah	• •	Ida	In/Indigo)	Item
J	Juliet	JEW lee ett	• – – –	John	Johnny/Jug)	Jig
K	Kilo	KEY loh	– • –	King	King	King
L	Lima	LEE mah	• – • •	Lincoln	Love	Love
M	Mike	MIKE	– –	Mary	Mother	Mike
N	November	No VEM ber	– •	Nora	Nuts	Nan
O	Oscar	OSS cah	– – –	Ocean	Orange	Oboe
P	Papa	pah PAH	• – – •	Paul	Peter	Peter
Q	Quebec	Keh BECK	– – • –	Queen	Queen	Queen
R	Romeo	ROW me oh	• – •	Robert	Roger/Robert	Roger
S	Sierra	see AIR rah	• • •	Sam	Sugar	Sugar
T	Tango	TANG go	–	Tom	Tommy	Tare
U	Uniform	YOU nee form	• • –	Union	Uncle	Uncle
V	Victor	VIK tah	• • • –	Victor	Vic/Victor	Victor
W	Whiskey	WISS kee	• – –	William	William	William
X	X-Ray	ECKS ray	– • • –	X-ray	X-Ray	X-Ray
Y	Yankee	YANG kee	– • – –	Young	Yorker	Yoke
Z	Zulu	ZOO loo	– – • •	Zebra	Zebra	Zebra

See also: International country calling codes | Emergency numbers worldwide…

* The NATO phonetic alphabet is formally referred to as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. This includes a spelling alphabet which helps people from different language backgrounds to understand and pronounce specific letters.
Morse Code Mnemonics: To help you remember dots only: Enemy Is Secretly Hiding: E • I • • S • • • H • • • • and Dashes only: Take Morse Orders: T – M – – O – – –

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Phonetic Alphabets

What is the NATO phonetic alphabet?

The NATO phonetic alphabet is a spelling alphabet where words are used to represent letters. Each letter of the English alphabet has a code word which is easier to understand in radio and telephone communications where accuracy is important.

How do I pronounce my name using the phonetic alphabet?

If you are asked to spell your name say each letter followed by its phoneme. Using John as an example say J as in Juliet, O as in Oscar, H as in Hotel and N as in November.

Who uses phonetic alphabets today?

Phonetic alphabets are used in radio and telephone communications to clarify words by emergency services, the military, aviation industries and anyone who wants to be sure information is communicated accurately.

Number	NATO Numbers	Pronunciation	Morse	LAPD	IMO* Word	Pronunciation
0	Zero	Zee-row	– – – – –		Nadazero	Nah Dah Zee Row
1	One	Wun	• – – – –	One	Unaone	Oo Nah Wun
2	Two	Too	• • – – –	Two	Bissotwo	Bees Soh Too
3	Three	Tree	• • • – –	Three	Terrathree	Tay Rah Tree
4	Four	Fow-err	• • • • –	Four	Kartefour	Kar Tay Fow Er
5	Five	Fife	• • • • •	Five	Pantafive	Pan Tah Fife
6	Six	Six	– • • • •	Six	Soxisix	Sok See Six
7	Seven	Sev-en	– – • • •	Seven	Setteseven	Say Tay Sev En
8	Eight	Ait	– – – • •	Eight	Oktoeight	Ok Toh Ait
9	Niner	Nine-er	– – – – •	Niner	Noveniner	No Vay Nine Er

* International Maritime Organization

Related General Knowledge Lists!

Help ListLovers.org improve this list of phonetic alphabets by adding your comments below…

4 responses to “Phonetic Alphabet Lists”

Allen Stallings says:

11 Feb 2022 at 7:58 PM

Really neat way to learn several things at one time. I wish I could copy it and print it.

Reply
- Joe Connor says:
  
  22 Feb 2022 at 4:29 PM
  
  Hi Allen, you can copy/paste it or take a screenshot and print it. We could even make a PDF download for anyone to download and print if there’s any interest?
  
  Reply
Shama says:

27 Jan 2021 at 6:59 AM

Include full meanings e.g. mobile (m o b i l e); moon ocean etc.

Reply
- Joe Connor says:
  
  6 Feb 2021 at 10:44 AM
  
  Hi Sharma, we think you’re looking for a dictionary of words spelt phonetically. Most dictionaries use a special alphabet consisting of 44 phonemes. These are needed because all the sounds of the English language cannot be represented by the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
  
  Reply